Hypodermic syringe



March 9, 1943. A. E. SMITH HYPO'DERNIIC sYRINGE Original Filed Nov. 3, 1933V V//AV/.nA/AHHMRQ Patented Mar. 9, 1943 HYPDERMIC SYRINGE Arthur E. Smith, Los Angeles, Calif.

Original application November 3, 1933, Serial No. 696,506. Divided and this application February 24, 1941, Serial No. 380,221

(Cl. 12S- 218) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an ampule syringe. The general object of the invention is to provide a novel ampule for use in a syringe including a closure with a medicinal tablet arranged in the closure and adapted to be discharged therefrom into a fluid vehicle to form a fresh solution.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel closure for a container.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal View through a syringe and ampule embodying the features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary central sectional view showing my improved ampule closure; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 after the projection has been removed from the ampule closure.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 696,506, led November 3, 1933, now Patent Number 2,251,527, patented August 5, 1941.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing by reference characters, I have shown my invention as embodied in a syringe indicated generally at I0. As shown, this syringe includes a barrel I I having a front member I2 thereon at one end. The barrel is closed at the other end by a cap I3 which has a plunger I4 movable therethrough. The plunger I4 has a head I5 thereon which is normally urged forward by a disk I5 which is engaged by a spring I6. The spring I6 is surrounded by telescopic segments Il, as clearly shown in the drawing.

Within the barrel II I show one embodiment of my improved ampule which is indicated generally at I8. This ampule is preferably made of glass and is cylindrical with ends at right angles to the axis of the ampule.

In the rear end of the ampule, I provide a stop' per I9. This stopper is preferably made of a good grade of rubber and is adapted to be pushed forward by the head l5 of the plunger to act as a piston to expel the contents of the ampule as will be presently understood.

In the front end the ampule is provided with a closure indicated at 4I. This closure is preferably made of rubber and in its original state is shown at Fig. 2 as comprising a body having a forward projecting tip 44 thereon. The body of the closure lll is provided with a central cylindrical hole 42. The hole i2 terminates in a wall d3 which, when the tip IM is severed, leaves a thin diaphragm 45, as shown in Fig. 3. This diaphragm will be punctured by a memberV to be later described. The hole l2 communicates with a chamber i6 in which a tablet 4l is arranged. A sealing disk 48 closes the chamber 46 and this is covered by a wax seal 49.

The disk "t8 is of a greater diameter than the recess which it fits so that it tightly engages with the walls of the recess with which it is associated to prevent accidental removal thereof. The closure is provided with an outwardly directed shoulder 23 and with a bevelled wall 29 which acts in conjunction with the end of the ampule to provide a V-shaped annular groove.

The projecting tip lli is provided with a V- shaped recess Bil. A coating 3l of wax or other sealing material is placed over the ampule closure and tip to seal the parts.

In use the tip 44 is removed by cutting at or near the groove 30 after which the ampule I8 is placed in the barrel as shown in Fig. 1. The front member is provided with a sharp circumferentially inwardly extending bead 32 which engages the end of the closure 4l and forces the shoulder 28 against the end of the ampule and maintains the parts in fluid tight engagement. The front end is provided with a tube 33, which is provided with discharge apertures 34, of considerably less diameter than the diameter of the hole 42 so that the tube enters the hole without touching the walls thereof and thereby avoids mishaps.

This tube 33 when the ampule is inserted, after passing through the hole 42 forces the disk 48 and the tablet 4l out of their associated recesses. The ampule barrel contains a suitable solvent or vehicle for the medicinal contents of the tablet dl and when the tablet is pushed into the vehicle by breaking the seal with the tube 33 a fresh local anesthetic solution is prepared, which posseses a pH of 7.2, is isotonic and contains the desired amount of the local anesthetic agent procaine and the vaso-constricting agent epinephrin.

As stated, in practice, stock solutions have been found unsatisfactory for anesthetic work and although the solutions now placed in ampules have been made to stand up without disintegration or discoloration for many months, yet I have found that by preparing an ampule so that a fresh solution can be made for each injection that a better result can be obtained since the pH constituency can be regulated to meet the approved practice.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. A hypodermic syringe comprising a barrel having a blunt ended tube iixedly mounted at one end of and extending into the barrel, a plunger mounted at the other end, a discardable cartridge adapted to be received in said barrel through said plunger end, said cartridge comprising a receptacle having an imperforate plug at one end adapted to be pierced by said tube and a piston plug at the other end adapted to be operated by said plunger, said plugs defining a chamber adapted to hold liquid, said imperiorate plug having an axial chamber open to the first chamber and adapted to contain medicament, a closure sealing the open end of said axial chamber and adapted to 'be displaced by the inwardly extending end of the tube as a necessary act of seating the cartridge in the b-arrel, thereby to combine the medicament and liquid.

2. A hypoderrnic syringe comprising a barrel having a blunt ended tube iixedly mounted at one end of and projecting into the barrel, a plunger mounted on the other end of the barrel, a discardable cartridge adapted to be insert,- ed in the barrel, said cartridge comprising a receptacle having an imperforate plug at one end adapted to be pierced by said tube and a piston plug at the other end adapted to be operated by said plunger, said plugs dening a chamber adapted to hold liquid, said imperforate plug having a chamber open to the rst chamber and adapted to contain medicament, a closure sealing the open end of said second chamber and adapted to be displaced by the projecting end of the tube upon inward movement of the cartridge With respect to the barrel thereby to combine the medicament and liquid.

3. A hypodermic syringe comprising a barrel having a front member mounted at one end, a hollow blunt ended, cylindrical tube with lateral apertures therein xedly mounted on the front member and having one end extending into the barrel, the other end of the tube terminating Within the front member, said front member having a projecting end portion, a plunger mounted at the other end of the barrel, a discardable cartridge adapted to be received in said barrel through the plunger end, said cartridge comprising a tube having an imperforate plug at one end adapted to be pierced by the tube on the front member, and a piston plug at the other end adapted to be operated by said plunger, said plugs deiining a chamber adapted to hold liquid, said imperforate plug having an axial chamber open to the rst mentionedchamber and adapted to contain medicament, a closure sealing the open end of the axial chamber, and adapted to be displaced by the inwardly extending end of the tube on the front member to thereby combine the medicament and the liquid;

ARTHUR E. SMITH. 

